Diagnosis and Treatment of Childhood Abdominal Pain

Childhood Abdominal Pain(also known as Recurrent Abdominal Pain, or RAP; the child may call it a tummy ache). This is when the child has pain in his/her stomach, but medical causes have been ruled out through medical testing. A biofeedback methodology is used to train children to relax, using animation and movies to motivate the child. The skills learned in biofeedback are usually utilized throughout the child’s life.

Pediatric MigrainesA surprising number of children experience migraines, and this increases in probability as the child matures. The child should be trained in self-management techniques before this becomes a more chronic condition (which may lead to the need for drug interventions). Biofeedback and other self-management techniques can be effective in helping the child to control various aspects of his/her own physiology, resulting in a reduction of headaches/migraines.

Attention Deficit DisorderBeing distractible and hyperactive can be very inconvenient for parents and teachers, in addition to the child's suffering. It is often advisable to have a thorough neuropsychological evaluation in order to assess for the following: learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, depression, anxiety, brain injury, behavioral and emotional problems, level of intelligence, and achievement in major areas of academic functioning. Biofeedback and other self-management techniques can be effective in helping the child to control various aspects of his/her own physiology, resulting in a reduction of ADD.

Learning DisabilitiesIt may sound surprising that about 15% of the population is learning disabled. This means that some learning function —usually reading— is significantly below average when compared to one's peers. There are other learning disabilities besides reading. One that is frequently mentioned is a Nonverbal Learning Disability. Some identifying features of this learning disability include poor mathematical ability, particularly with word problems; poor fine motor coordination such as very bad handwriting; and poor social skills, where the child has very few friends and has difficulty making and/or keeping friends. There can also be very focused learning problems such as with math, writing, or social skills. Learning Disability testing may be a tax deductible expense for you.